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Text Late that night, Luna dragged Twilight Sparkle out to their cabin despite her protests, the winged unicorn grumbling that Ponyville would be fine for one night without its self-appointed protector. Before Twilight could protest, Luna zapped her with an alertness spell to restore her energy, then allowed her a few quick, stumbled goodnights before dragging her out to walk with them through the Everfree Forest. Twilight's complaints settled as they passed into the Everfree Forest, the unicorn slowly going from grumpy to admiring the scenery and enjoying the quiet calm of their surroundings as Luna and Scrivener held easy conversation, feeling more at home in the dark, living forest than they did in normal pony society. It only added to the surreal atmosphere, but made Twilight smile as she listened to their conversation and looked from one to the other softly. The walk back was peaceful and comfortable, and they reached the cabin in good time, smiling to each other as Sammy chirped cheerfully at the sight of company and immediately ran over to Twilight, bouncing up and down on his hind legs. She laughed and reached down to pet him as Luna headed to the den, shaking her head in amusement as Scrivener made his way towards the kitchen, saying amusedly: "Give me a few minutes and I'll put on some coffee for us, or tea if you'd prefer, Twilight." "Coffee's fine, Scrivy." Twilight said softly, walking now to join Luna in the den with Sammy perched on her back, gently nibbling at her flowing mane… and then she laughed a bit as Luna firmly patted the bedding, shaking her head and saying softly: "I have to wonder why of all the ponies in Equestria, I ended up with you two as… such close friends. I also have to wonder why you insist on dragging me out here some nights, Luna… again, you could always move into Ponyville, or at least closer to the outskirts. You're deeper in the Everfree Forest then Zecora is." "For safety, Twilight. 'Tis deeper than most ponies would dare to tread, be they filled with thoughts of adventuring and heroism or hatred for my husband and myself… and while in most things I am brash, in some things I am cautious." Luna stopped, then smiled a little as Twilight settled quietly on the bedding beside her, leaning her side against the unicorn and adding softly: "And as wonderful as Ponyville treats me, and fond as I am of my… little kingdom, as I do so enjoy calling it… all the same, I am not a pony who is at her most comfortable in normal society. Let Celestia have her castles and brick and mortar and societies. I wish instead for the trees and the rivers and the sap and the freedom and safety of nature." Twilight smiled a little at this, then she blushed a little when Luna leaned over to press almost forehead-to-forehead with her, smiling slightly into her eyes. "But come, Twilight, 'tis not what truly surprises thee about things. 'Tis the way they have developed… but I do not blame you, I am a truly alluring winged unicorn of vast beauty and strength, 'tis only natural thou art so attracted to me." The violet unicorn rolled her eyes in amusement at this as Scrivener Blooms returned with a tray loaded with mugs of coffee, and then Luna's eyes flicked towards him as her horn glowed, easily lifting this away to carry it in front of the bedding. "Thanks Luna. But you know, you should really stop being so modest. We all might just start believing you, after all." "Worry not, Scrivener Blooms, thou knows well I speak only the truth." Luna replied comfortably, and then she picked up one of the mugs and tried to drink from it… before grimacing and rearing back in surprise as she looked down at the empty mug. "What trickery is this?" "Patience, warrior princess, patience." Scrivener Blooms replied mildly, and Luna gave him a sour look even as the earth pony headed back towards the kitchen, beginning easily: "Look, I know you like your-" He was interrupted by a sudden loud rumble, Luna looking up sharply as she leapt to her hooves, and Twilight frowned at her before Scrivener cursed and ran across the den, shooting towards the doorway as the winged unicorn's eyes snapped to the unicorn, saying sharply: "I sense invasion, Twilight Sparkle, come with me!" She jerked her head towards the back door, and Twilight frowned even as she leapt to her hooves, wincing and looking up as there was another rumble, asking hurriedly: "But wait, how do you know-" "The earth quakes and the air rumbles, 'tis all too clear to my instincts from the whispers of the Forest that we are under attack." Luna grimaced as she snapped her head forwards, throwing the back door open as she muttered: "And we show no mercy and no quarter to those who dare to invade our home and sanctuary. Now hurry, Scrivener Blooms is laying the trap." The earth pony himself was glaring back and forth, standing out in the middle of the yard… and with both Luna's thoughts and his own sharpened instincts, he was able to pick up on the presence of what were definitely other ponies. They were silent, thinking they were hidden even as their eyes gleamed under the light of the moon… and even more telling, the horns of the unicorns here and there shimmered quietly, as if they were preparing magic. "You guys really aren't so subtle, you know that? Listen, I'm sore and tired. Can we put off this whole 'rout Nightmare Moon and Scrivener Blooms' stuff off until later?" There was another rumble, and this time Scrivener felt the grass beneath his hooves almost writhe, looking down with a frown before a voice murmured from the shadows: "Be not so bold, earth pony. We are here for Nightmare Moon, to bring her to the Black Baroque… the only reason we have not incinerated you is because we know you are connected to her." Scrivener snarled, setting himself now as his eyes flashed, and slowly, several unicorns emerged: unicorns with staring, wide eyes ringed in black that glowed unnaturally, faces tattooed with constellations and lunar sigils, their bodies clothed in crimson cloaks and heavy capes. The male looked sharply back and forth, but before he could even take a step, the earth beneath his feet rumbled again before it collapsed violently around the male, leaving him trapped inside a bowl-shaped depression as vines snapped back and forth over the top in a crisscrossing pattern, the earth pony staring stupidly up from where he'd half-fallen in the hole. Then a unicorn approached, gazing down with his unblinking, yellowing eyes, and he said softly: "Stay out of our way, slave-hoof. Helheim and our own planet longs for this, knows this is the only way to bring about purification, to bring about peace. Nightmare Moon shall come with the Ekleíp to the Black Baroque. The Gates of Hell will be thrown open and the Black Wolves will emerge from the tunnels, and Nightmare Moon will destroy Equestria. The world will be lit with fire, and then it will fall into a slumber of darkness when life has been extinguished. The ancient ones will awaken. They will praise Nightmare Moon. Then they will rebuild the world together… and all those who have died will be brought to new consciousness, new life, in paradise." "But first we must send a message." murmured another unicorn, striding slowly past the pit as Scrivener Blooms cursed under his breath and scrambled upwards, only to wince as the net of vines repelled him as if he'd run into a rubber wall. "Nightmare Moon has been disoriented. Is trapped inside the one they call Luna. We shall awaken her by whatever means necessary." "Genius plan, guys." Scrivy called drolly, and the four unicorns that had gathered in the field all paused to look down… before Scrivener winced as small spikes shot out of the earth in a circle around him, the conical blades of rock almost glowing in the moonlight. "Well, okay. I think it's safe enough for me to shut up now, anyway." "Nightmare Moon does not come to save you. This is a good sign. But we shall further awaken her." spoke another unicorn after a moment, and the four looked up as their horns began to glow brighter. "We shall make her see reason. We shall make her understand what she must do. The halls of the Black Baroque await her grace." And Scrivener snarled as he heard the awful rumbling building again, felt waves of force travel through the walls around him… but a moment later, it was no longer the earth shaking around the pony, but rather the enormous cliffs that shuddered with growing violence and strength, the earth pony's eyes widening as he clawed his way up to the vine netting overtop the pit he was snared in to stare in horror as the rocky crag began to crack and rumble before the top of the overhang slowly started to list forwards, stones and dust hailing down to patter like heavy rain onto the rooftop… before the first of several enormous chunks of rock ripped free of the side of their treasured vantage, collapsing to smash heavily into the cabin below. Wood and dust and shingles flew in all directions as Scrivener felt a physical pain in his gut, shouting wordlessly as the entire side of the cliff gave away and heavy chunks of stone hailed down on top of the cabin, sending up a cloud of dust as the avalanche of heavy rock buried the cabin completely… and the male snarled in frustration as he yanked uselessly at the vine net as a unicorn said quietly: "Nightmare Moon belongs in the Black Baroque. We must show her our desires. We must prove that Ekleíp is strong. We must prove we are ready for Ragnarok." "Then Ragnarok thou shall receive!" Luna shouted furiously, and the four unicorns looked to the side in surprise that was emotionless and bland before the winged unicorn crashed into the first, slamming her shoulder into him to knock him crashing through the others and sending them spilling over like dominos as she snarled in fury. "How dare such fools attempt to ravage my home!" Luna's horn glowed brightly as she snapped her head upwards briskly, starry locks sizzling with electricity, and a blast of lightning issued from the air above to crash into one of the unicorns as he began to get up, sending him crashing backwards in a flash of light, rolling bonelessly several times before he crashed to a halt in a smoldering heap. The other unicorns barely reacted to their comrade's demise, however, and it seemed to only fuel Luna's rage all the further as she leapt forwards, swinging her head down in a vicious smash to another unicorn's forehead, the pony flopping to the ground in an unconscious heap before Luna snapped her horn to the side, and the limp body of the cultist was flung with savage force into the face of another unicorn, almost snapping his neck as he was sent flying backwards and knocked out cold. They both crashed and rolled violently several times as the last unicorn calmly rose his horn, and rumbles travelled through the earth again before vines tore up from the ground, lashing on all sides towards Luna… but she snarled in response to this, rearing back as her mane snapped upwards behind her, her body almost shimmering as blue flames exploded in a short ring through the air around her that incinerated the vines around her and blew a wide gap in the plant netting covering the cage, Scrivy wincing away from the eldritch fire before he threw himself upwards and leapt free of the pit, standing ready beside Luna. The unicorn looked slowly towards his fallen allies, then back towards Luna and Scrivy, leaning forwards as he began to lower his horn, apparently intent on continuing the battle anyway… but then a faint blue glow sizzled over his body, the unicorn twitching and taking a short, sharp breath before his eyes rolled up in his head as his legs wobbled beneath him, and he collapsed to the ground, drooling, eyes staring listlessly, half-open. His body jittered on the grass, and Twilight made a face as she walked in from the side of the field, murmuring quietly: "I don't think I'll ever get used to that." "Thou hast my thanks, Twilight… I am glad thou art so dependable. And thou too, Scrivener Blooms…" Luna glanced down with a grimace as the earth shuddered deep beneath their hooves, shaking her head slowly before she silently looked up towards the cliff face, murmuring: "We are fortunate wards were prepared in event of an occasion such as this. But still… there is damage done." She halted, then looked down with a scowl, walking towards the unicorn that Twilight was nervously looking down at before the violet pony winced when Luna seized the paralyzed cultist by the mane and yanked his head up, throwing him onto his back before she leaned down to look at the fastener holding his cloak together… and as expected, it was a large white circle rimmed with red and yellow flame. She sighed and shook her head at this, then began to raise a hoof… but at a look from Twilight, she halted and mumbled to herself, stepping away from the cultist and saying darkly: "There is little to be done otherwise, though, Twilight Sparkle. Let all others be shown mercy, but the fanatics of Ekleíp pray every day for death. If they must pray so much and strive so hard, I am more than glad to give it to them." "Still. I know you're better than that, Luna. I know you are." Twilight said softly, as she lowered her head and closed her eyes, her horn glowing for a moment as a purple aura enveloped the male for a moment before becoming solid ropes that tightly bound his limbs together. Then she straightened, smiling a little as she glanced awkwardly towards Luna, asking quietly: "What about his magic? I don't know how to stop him from using that." "We could remove his horn." Luna said sourly, but when Twilight favored her with a flat look, she sighed and muttered: "Very well. Scrivener Blooms, prepare a poison." Scrivy nodded, turning around… and then he paused to silently survey the wreckage covering their cabin, hesitating for a moment before Luna smiled faintly as she quietly looked back at him, saying softly: "It will be alright, my husband. There is damage done, but the shielding wards will hold the worst of it at bay for now." She stopped, then stepped forwards and buried her face quietly against the side of his neck for a moment, closing her eyes even as her horn began to glow… and Scrivener smiled faintly as he tilted his head to the side and several of the boulders and stones that had collapsed over the front of the cottage rumbled as they spilled to the side, heavy rocks and dust trickling to the ground and over the fallen stones as the cracked, broken front of the cottage was revealed. Blue light pulsed faintly through the splintered wood, making the structure glow dully as Twilight shook her head slowly, murmuring quietly: "I'm sorry I wasn't able to charge the wards faster, Luna. We could have been out here faster… or you could have left me to tend to that and they wouldn't've been given the chance to-" "Oh be not self-loathing, 'tis the job of Scrivener Blooms. Bind the other unicorns who yet live, and I shall begin repairing the cliff while my husband goes about his work." Luna grumbled after a moment, then she halted and glanced awkwardly towards Twilight, adding in a softer voice: "And I am sorry I invited thou out to relax with us, only to find our night interrupted by the machinations of Ekleíp. Be assured, I shall make this up to thee… 'tis not fair that after thou has fought so hard beside us in Ponyville, now we drag thee out only to defend our own home from ambush." "Luna, it's fine. It really is…" Twilight glanced up, watching as Scrivy carefully walked towards the cottage, stepping around broken chunks of rock and nervously glancing up at boulders suspended awkwardly here and there, several flat, cracked pieces of stone half-hanging ominously through the broken roof over the patio. "I wish I had done more… could do more for you… instead of always relying on you to fix everything for me. You're the one who always goes out of her way for everypony, Luna… this was just an accident of coincidence." The winged unicorn only grumbled a little at this, however, and then she took a few steps towards the cottage before laying down, Twilight half-watching curiously even as she went about the process of binding the other unicorns. Then, slowly, Luna's horn began to glow as she lowered her head forwards… and Twilight turned towards her to stare as the very air around the female seemed to tremble for a few moments as electricity ran through her glowing mane, her back arching slightly, breathing slowly in and out as she slowly tilted her head until she faced towards the sky. With a mighty rumble, enormous chunks of rock and collapsed mountain began to rise up, glowing dark sapphire as they pulled themselves with cracks and creaks from the glowing roof of the cabin, and lifted one-by-one from where they had collapsed on top of a sparkling dome of sapphire energy, powered by circles of glowing white runes hidden here and there amidst the bramble gardens of the small back yard. Scrivy glanced up from where he stood on the dirt path leading between gardens fenced in by thorny vines, surveying the cracked forcefield: here and there, heavy rocks had pierced through it, shattering the surrounding shielding like glass and leaving spiderwebs of cracks pulsing with ivory light through the fractured energy shield. It sizzled against the inanimate stones as they lifted free, floating silently upwards into the air as Scrivener Blooms shook his head slowly, then sighed a bit around the glass jar he was carefully carrying by the rope handle in his jaws, muttering around it: "I hate unicorns." He made his way through the back door and grumbled quietly as he stepped into the faintly-glowing interior, looking moodily back and forth: several particularly large, sharp chunks of rocks had torn through the roof, and dust and debris littered the floor, as Sammy chittered and skittered back and forth, the skeletal little pseudodragon looking as frustrated as Scrivy felt with the destruction that had been wrought to their home. Paintings had been knocked from the walls, glass fractured, furniture damaged, their bedding ripped… and while magic could repair some of it and fix most of the dust and grime, Scrivy knew that if the painting above the mantelpiece had been damaged at all, there was nothing that would have stopped Luna from ripping the unicorns apart. He grimaced as he headed carefully towards the front door, knowing all the same that the winged unicorn was struggling hard not to simply bring the broken pieces of cliff crashing down on top of the unicorn cultists that had done this, as he heard heavy chunks of stone slamming one after the other rapidly back into place with hisses of heat and steam as they melted and melded back together. The sounds grew louder as he approached the dully-glowing door, and louder still as he shouldered it carefully open, static sparking through the doorway for a few moments and glanced up with a bit of a smile at the sight of the enormous rocks silently gyrating through the air as Luna sat with her back arched, her eyes closed, her horn glowing brightly. Twilight sat beside her, staring at her with what was almost rapture… and behind them, a unicorn had managed to break his bonds, his own horn glowing darkly as he shakily stood, Scrivener's eyes widening… but the moment his emotions flared, he knew Luna could feel the warning, knew her instincts were already reacting… and that she was well-aware of the unicorn by the almost-coy smile on her face and the way her eyes half-opened as they flicked to the side before an enormous boulder shot through the air like a meteorite, smashing down into the unicorn and crushing him beneath it, Twilight flinching at the sound of the crash before she looked over her shoulder… and staggered away in shock at the sight of one of the cultist's legs sticking almost comically out from beneath the boulder. A moment later, the rock was hefted back into the air, revealing the broken body beneath it as Twilight grimaced and looked away with a shudder… and it joined the other floating stones before they shot forwards, locking loudly into the mended cliff face as red and blue cracks shone vibrantly throughout the stony wall, broken and jagged but slowly on its way to being restored as Luna said quietly: "I believe that in mercy is strength… but some days I am prone to weakness." Luna halted, looking moodily up at the reconstructed cliff face, and then she shook her head slowly before closing her eyes and bowing her head forwards, her horn glowing brighter for a moment and the pulsing, colored cracks throughout the jagged, damaged stone overhang growing brighter as the heavy rock fused in a final hiss of steam. Then Luna relaxed slowly, lowering her head and taking a long breath as Scrivener Blooms approached, the two trading hesitant smiles as Twilight finally pulled her gaze away from the crushed unicorn to look up at the reconstructed rock wall, murmuring: "Your powers are incredible, Luna… but… I mean…" "'Tis alright, Twilight Sparkle. I am glad thou art not a warrior… that thou hesitates to kill." Luna said quietly, glancing towards her with a small smile as the violet unicorn blushed a little and dropped her head forwards. "But sometimes, sadly, it is necessary as well. The Ekleíp are… they are barely even ponies anymore. Death is a mercy, and the only thing that will stop them from pursuing us… and nothing we do shall intimidate these death-worshipping creatures into halting until they are dead, or we are dragged to the Black Baroque for their terrible, warped rituals." She stopped, then looked silently towards the last two unicorns, which were both still unconscious, one of them spasming a little from the paralysis spell, and the female murmured: "'Tis awful though, Twilight Sparkle… what they have become, in pursuit of magic, in pursuit of knowledge. And I know not where their foolhardy beliefs stem from… old mares' tales, prophecies, or whispers from the treacherous demons of Helheim. All I know is that they are lies… and that for all they worship Nightmare Moon, she reviles them with even greater hatred than mine own for these dregs, these scum, these lost and broken spirits." Luna paused, then glanced quietly towards Scrivener Blooms as the male strode towards one of the unicorns and knelt, opening the jar as he carefully pushed one of the unconscious unicorn's mouths open. He paused to look questioningly towards Luna, but she nodded firmly as Twilight frowned, asking nervously: "Luna, this is…" "Diluted Bitterweaver poison, mixed with the root of lunar lilies." Luna replied quietly, looking down at the bound unicorn as Scrivy carefully poured only a little of the poison into its jaws. "It is a crude method, perchance, but one that will render the best results for what we require. Do not worry, Twilight Sparkle, he will not die, and we will not force him to suffer miserably, much as he deserves it. Daydreamer, wait, worry not about the other unicorn… we only need one." With that, Luna stepped past Scrivy as both he and Twilight glanced up towards the winged unicorn, watching as she leaned down by the other cultist, her horn glowing as she closed her eyes… and slowly, she leaned down and tapped his temple with the very tip, the unicorn's eyes snapping open as he gasped and stared sightlessly forwards… and then they slowly closed, a bit of drool spilling out of his jaws as he gargled quietly on the ground and kicked a little, then slumped silently. Luna straightened with a grimace, shaking her own head out briskly and muttering: "More mercy than thou does deserve, wretch… and we shall cast thee out to some distant corner of Equestria where thou may live in peace even in these days. Such compassion not even I receive… so I hope that thou truly knows how fortunate thou art, mindless knave." She stopped, then grouchy kicked the unicorn once in the stomach, Twilight wincing a little and Scrivener Blooms rolling his eyes but giving a small smile despite himself before he grimaced and glanced down as the poisoned cultist gagged, then shivered as foam frothed out of his jaws, convulsing once again before his eyes snapped open as his breathing roughened and he spasmed weakly against his bonds. Twilight flinched back a bit, looking awkwardly down at the cultist as he spasmed again on the ground, but Luna only smiled grimly, saying quietly: "Worry not, Twilight. The initial pain will pass quickly… and is nothing compared to the other methods I would have been glad to employ, had you not already asked for mercy for this sallow vermin. But it will numb him, and then paralysis shall set in… and the essence of the lily root shall char his will and loosen his mind. I am not as well-versed as Zecora in the arts of alchemy and potions, but in poisons my knowledge is more than adequate." "You are a very scary lady." Scrivy said mildly, studying the unicorn with a grimace as the cultist cursed on the ground, eyes bulging for a moment as he coughed hard several times before slumping as he breathed hard in and out. "Will it be enough to keep him from using magic?" "Worry not, daydreamer, they shalt not harm a hair of thy mane." Luna smiled slightly over at him, and then she grimaced and glanced down as the earth rumbled beneath their feet, saying moodily: "Although they have already disturbed the forest… and look, the pawn wakens towards consciousness. Speak to me, unicorn of Ekleíp, and speak truly and quickly, for my patience is in short supply and my wrath stands ready at full swing. And think not I will be foolish enough to kill thee, lost one, for I know there are worse ways still to punish and torment thy accursed kind." "N-Nightmare Moon… we worship you… why will you not listen to our prayers?" rasped the unicorn, half-rolling on the ground as he stared almost longingly up at Luna, who gazed icily back. "We seek to bathe this world in shadow. We seek to heal the world. We are the Ekleíp, who will bring about Ragnarok… who will cleanse this planet of the evils that have infested it. Death is freedom. Death is purification." "Death is death, wretched fool, and the destruction of the world will be nothing grand or glorious. Ragnarok may lead to a rebirth, aye… but it will not be the rebirth of ponies, and it will not be the rebirth of ancient gods and knowledge lost. Thou speaks only of fairy tales and nonsense." Luna said disgustedly, shaking her head slowly. "Except that nay, even fairy tales have rhyme and reason, are based upon fact… thy precious Ekleíp is naught but fools listening to the ramblings of self-proclaimed prophets!" "The demons of Helheim hold dialogue with us… the spirits of the ether, and the planet itself whisper to us, tell us that life is corrupt, that the Aesir lied, that the gods no longer care for our planet, our Midgard." The unicorn faltered, then grimaced on the ground, muscles tensing, body flexing as he rasped for air, smearing foam against the grass as Twilight slowly shook her head and Luna looked pitilessly down at him. "Come with us, Nightmare Moon. The planet needs you. The planet begs for you. Midgard begs for sleep, so she may heal… so we may all be reborn in a paradise guarded by the Black Wolves… our seers and prophets have seen this, the gifts… the gifts that Ragnarok will bring…" "I have heard enough of thy ramblings, of baseless legend and lies whispered to naïve fools by wicked spirits and their consorts." Luna muttered, shaking her head grimly before she asked sharply: "Answer this question then, knave. Nightmare Moon wishes to know why now the Ekleíp move against her… against myself and mine. Why have thou disturbed the Black Baroque, why have thou engineered the awful schemes against me? And wert thou and thine truly so foolish as to try and leash the devil in Pegasus's skin, did all of thee truly believe that a monster such as Sol Seraph could be controlled?" "Nightmare Moon… no… you…" The unicorn shivered on the ground, his eyes rolling in his head as emotions flooded his features: strange in the black-ringed eyes of the unicorn that hadn't seemed to care in the slightest about pain, or the death and destruction of his comrades. "No, Ekleíp… I must stay strong… I will…" "Kill thyself? I think not, knave." Luna said softly, looming down now over the unicorn, her eyes glowing steadily brighter as the unicorn stared up at her before he arched his back, shivering and gritting his teeth. "Struggle if thou must, but the poisons have already leeched into thy mind and stolen the little strength and will thou once possessed. Now answer the questions of Nightmare Moon… 'tis ironic, but it is not only the poisons that compel thee to… 'tis the creed of the Ekleíp, who claim their loyalty lay to her, does it not?" "Y-Yes… Nightmare Moon…" And, as the unicorn grew visibly weaker from the influence of the toxin, more and more, his emotions seemed to shine through the mask of toneless indifference that had first shielded him, even the tattoos on his skin seeming to writhe and recede as he whispered: "The time is drawing close now… Nightmare Moon has been led astray from her path, from why she was released from the moon… but the Ekleíp exist to place her securely back on the right road. To help her once more find her destiny… find the darkness… Sol Seraph was a part of this grand scheme, grand machination. She did her duty… and found you, as we hoped… she marked the path, so we could follow… and she tried to fight you, and was judged unworthy. Destiny destroyed her… the ether destroyed her… because she failed the Ekleíp. She thought herself better than Nightmare Moon… she thought herself better than the loyalists to the night, to the darkness, to the natural state of things. The sun is an invader… it must be… blinded… the world… we must not allow…" And the unicorn shivered again before he slowly slumped, rasping hard for breath as he fell unconscious, and Luna shook her head grimly as she muttered in disgust: "Maddened ramblings of a maddened fool… they think themselves purifiers, and yet never have I witnessed atrocity so foul, minds so corrupted and warped. But now the pieces begin to fall into place, and 'twas not his words that spoke worlds, but the way he became more like a pony and less like a machine as the toxins invaded his mind… I believe that these fools are being puppeted by blacker magic than Nightmare Moon's. Twilight Sparkle, Scrivener Blooms… it is not an idea I relish… but we shall have to take one of the Ekleíp to Celestia, by methods fair or foul." She stopped, then shook her head slowly, looking quietly down at the bodies of the cultists as she murmured softly: "But first, we shall burn the bodies of the dead… toss the fortunate survivor to the winds of travel… and last but not least, ensure our unicorn friend is given proper lodgings for the night, and in the morning, we shall take him to Ponyville." Luna paused and grimaced, adding darkly: "And all too soon, our reprieve has been interrupted by time's merciless forwards march." Scrivener Blooms nodded slowly as Twilight Sparkle looked up nervously, but Luna only shook her head silently as she stood over the fallen unicorn cultist, not speaking and not needing to for her husband and confidante to feel her fears for the future more clearly than if she had given them voice. Top ↑ Category:Transcript Category:Story